Handheld Learning 2008

For the second year running Nintendo are backing the Handheld Learning Conference where an astonishing programme, featuring some of the world’s finest thought leaders in the fields of learning, media and consumer electronics will meet in London, Oct 13th-15th, to discuss the way’s in which learning and teaching are being transformed.

Speakers including popular science writer, Steven Berlin Johnson, social media scientist, danah boyd, former Xerox Corp chief scientist, John Seely Brown, writer, Marc Prensky, learning visionary, Stephen Heppell, Futurelab research director, Keri Facer, mobile learning guru, Mike Sharples and MIT’s chief learning architect, David Cavallo will join Andrew Pinder, CBE, chairman of Becta.

Now in its fourth year the event has become the largest of its kind bringing together over 900 of the world’s leading opinion formers, thought leaders, practitioners, education leaders, developers, policy and decision makers to explore the convergence between consumer electronics, entertainment software, educational technology and learning.

The conference encompasses how broad ranges of technologies from mobile devices and super low cost laptops to gaming technologies to emerging web platforms and beyond are affecting learning.

The event is supported by UK government agency, Becta, along with industry support from Nintendo.

Darren Gorton, Business Development Director for Nintendo, said

We are proud to be supporting this important event once again and look forward to hearing from the some of the world’s leading thinkers in the field of learning. With over 70 million DS units in peoples hands we are genuinely interested in the positive impact that they can have for self-improvement and collaborative learning.

Delegates registering for the conference by July 31st receive a free Nintendo DS handheld and game cartridge that they are encouraged to bring with them for interactive participation during the event.

Graham Brown-Martin, founder of Handheld Learning, said,

We are delighted to receive such confident support both from government agencies and industry alike. The provision of the Nintendo DS handheld is far from a gimmick as we are encouraging delegates to do the kind of things during the event that are often not allowed in classrooms throughout the world despite the power and possibilities of such devices.